MAJOR WINNERS | THE MASTERS | THE US OPEN | THE OPEN | THE USPGA | THE RYDER CUP

The Majors

Golf's four major championships are The Masters, the United States Open, the British Open and the U.S. PGA Championship. How they became major championships, to be valued above all others, is a matter of debate. But there is not a golfer in the world, from the shaky beginner to the heroic hall-of-famer, that does not so consider them.

A golfer from any era does not achieve the accolade of true greatness unless he has outlasted the field in one or more major championships. The four tournaments are listed above in the order they're played. Previously, the British Amateur Championship and the United States Amateur had been regarded as majors, but as amateurs continued to falter in championships open to all comers, their major status was rescinded.

Only five players in the sport's history have won each of the majors at least once: Tiger Woods (one Masters, one U.S., one British, two U.S. PGA); Gene Sarazen (one Masters, two U.S., one British, three U.S. PGA); Ben Hogan (two Masters, four U.S., one British, two U.S. PGA); Gary Player (three Masters, one U.S., three British, two U.S. PGA); and Jack Nicklaus (six Masters, four U.S., three British, five U.S. PGA).

Writers have chronicled the epic struggles and triumphs of these tournaments in poem, in song, in essay and in film. The battles waged and careers made in these four competitions are permanent testimonials to their greatness.

The Masters (www.masters.org)

The Masters has been played since 1934. It was originally called the Augusta Invitational Tournament after the course that it is always played upon-Augusta National in Georgia. It is the youngest major and the only one that does not and never has rotated venues. The tournament was the brainchild of the club's patriarch, Clifford Roberts, and its co-founder and most famous member, Bobby Jones. Jones' popularity-and his ability to attract the finest golfers, professional and amateur, who were numbered among his friends-is very likely the reason The Masters was catapulted to major status so quickly.

It is impossible to tell the story of The Masters without reviewing the background of its legendary club. In 1930 Jones retired from golf as the most successful amateur in history. That was the year, at age 28, Jones won all four of what were then considered golf's majors (British and U.S. Opens and Amateurs). He had always wanted to build a superior course far enough from his Atlanta home as to provide him a rare bit of privacy to play casual golf with friends. The ambitious Roberts, who shared Jones' desire and cherished their relationship, became the man responsible for raising the capital for the project-not an easy task with the United States already deep into the Depression. It's interesting to note that Roberts had trouble finding potential members willing to part with the $350-a-year fee.

Jones's personal relationship with the Scottish course architect (and retired physician) Dr Alister Mackenzie was critical in soliciting his services. Augusta National's early financial woes made paying the esteemed architect difficult, and in fact Mackenzie died before receiving his full fee. Mackenzie (already responsible for two of golf's greatest courses,Cypress Point in California and Royal Melbourne in Australia) designed a course to Jones' specifications on the site of a former horticultural nursery that was gorgeous and appealing both to the high-class player and golfing novice. Augusta National employs wide fairways and no rough. The fairway slopes make finding a level spot quite difficult. The greens are large but undulating and surrounded by trouble if the approach shots are wayward. The course's beauty-with its flowering azaleas and dogwoods-is indescribable.

So it is here that The Masters takes place each spring. Originally, the tournament was by invitation only. It was important to Jones that the amateur golfer played a vital role at his tournament. It is still important to The Masters' organizers today. Roberts and Jones felt that it was also important to cater to the spectators-called patrons-so costs are kept low and crowds are kept small. In fact, the limited Masters gallery has been sold out for decades and the waiting list closed.

The competition for Masters glory has been legendary. Ever since Gene Sarazen, in 1935, holed out his second shot from about 220 yards on the par-5 15th hole to tie leader Craig Wood and go on to win the playoff, few of the tournaments have been less than dazzling. Nicklaus holds the record with six victories. Palmer has four. The big stars are normally involved in anxious battles that nearly always are decided on the back nine holes on the last day Masters Winners.

The United States Open (www.usopen.com)

The U.S. Open is the creation of the United States Golf Association. This mammoth organization, in addition to hosting various qualifying and championship tournaments, sets America's Rules of Golf, qualifies golf equipment as conforming or not and maintains the standards of handicap calculation that allow golfers of varying abilities to compete on an even field.

In 1895 the first U.S. Open was held at the Newport Golf Club, a 9-hole course in Rhode Island. It was a one-day, 36-hole event held in conjunction with the U.S. Amateur. It was actually considered less important than the Amateur at the time.

Professionals over from England and Scotland dominated the early Opens. Atlantic City's Johnny McDermott was the first American to triumph with his win at Chicago Golf Club-America's first 18-hole course-in 1911. Francis Ouimet won an 18-hole playoff over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in 1913 at Brookline in Massachusetts. The victory was significant because Ouimet, a neighborhood kid who caddied at the course, was certainly not supposed to beat the great Brits. His triumph did much for the common golfer in America.

Perhaps the greatest player most closely associated with the United States Open is Ben Hogan. Hogan won the tournament four times in six years (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953). More remarkable was Hogan's return from a near-fatal car accident in 1949 to recapture Open glory at Merion Golf Club, Philadelphia, in an 18-hole playoff in 1950. America's first popular professional, Walter Hagen, won the first of his 11 Majors in the 1914 Open at Midlothian, Illinois. Nicklaus' first professional win was the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont. In what may be the most famous shot in U.S. Open history, Tom Watson chipped in for an astonishing birdie on the short 17th to beat Nicklaus in 1982 at Pebble Beach, California.

A poll of U.S. PGA Tour players revealed the U.S. Open as the tournament they would most like to win. It's also the one dreamed about by most struggling amateur golfers. One way to play in the U.S. Open is to advance through one of the local and regional qualifying tournaments held by the USGA every year. It's an attainable-albeit extremely unlikely-goal.

The USGA is notorious for setting up its Open courses to ensure a severe test. Some would say the difficulty is sometimes even unfair. The rough is grown to unimaginable heights while the greens are polished down to a glassy finish. A player who ventures off the fairway is not expected to make birdie at the U.S. Open. The proponents of such mayhem believe America's supreme championship should take place on a course that penalizes a wayward shot. Opponents claim such a configuration rewards a too-safe approach. Regardless, there's no question the U.S. Open sets the stage for drama. U.S. Open Winners.

The British Open (www.opengolf.com)

This, the oldest and most internationally representative of the majors, began in 1860 at Prestwick links on Scotland's Ayrshire coast, where it was played for the first 12 years. Thereafter, until 1892, Prestwick alternated with St. Andrews and Musselburgh. That year, when Muirfield hosted, the championship was played over 72 holes for the first time (until then it had been over 36). The father and son of early golf's greatest family- Old Tom Morris and his boy Young Tom-dominated the initial tournaments. The Morrises took eight of the first 12 Open titles. Harry Vardon, golf's greatest player before World War I, is the career wins leader with six titles, his last coming in 1914 at Prestwick. British Open champions receive the coveted silver claret jug, first won by Young Tom Morris in 1872.

After a successful American run during the 1920s-with champions such as Hagen and Jones-hard economic times made transatlantic travel difficult and many of the Americans chose to stay home. The tournament was suspended from 1940-45 for World War II. All of this worked against the British Open, although Ben Hogan did win in 1953 at Carnoustie in his only British Open appearance. (He had already won the 1953 Masters and U.S.Open : nobody before or since has won three majors in a year; it is likely he would also have taken the U.S. PGA Championship that year if he had been able to get back to the United States in time after the British Open.)

Arnold Palmer is often credited with re-establishing the importance of the British Open as an international must-play. Palmer, who won back-to-back Opens in 1961 at Birkdale and 1962 at Troon, captivated the British golfing public just as he had the American. Arnie's success, and the emergence of television, made missing the Open inconceivable for the best golfers in the world.

Tom Watson has performed heroically in Britain as well. Watson, with five Open wins, established his legacy as a world-class player in this tournament. He set the 72-hole record at Turnberry in 1977 in a win over Nicklaus: they were paired together for the last two rounds in what is regarded as the greatest 36-hole head-to-head in the history of the majors.

Tony Jacklin became the toast of Britain with his win at Royal Lytham in 1969. The Spaniard Seve Ballesteros worked his magic at the Open and has three wins. The most recently celebrated Brit to succeed in the British Open is Nick Faldo, who had wins in 1987, 1990 and 1992. The British Open, held in July, is always ripe for severe weather. The often windy and damp conditions force players to rely on imagination. Another unique aspect of the Open is the condition of the courses themselves.

The limited-rotation venues provide classic links-style tracks not found anywhere else-St. Andrews, Muirfield, Turnberry, Troon, Birkdale, Lytham & St. Annes, and Royal St. George's (Sandwich); and, for 1999, the great shaggy monster of Carnoustie has been restored to favour. These courses are not the pristinely manicured target-style beauties normally played on the American PGA Tour. Players must contend with hidden bunkers, huge undulating greens and difficult lies. This, coupled with the tournament's unique tradition, makes the British Open a great occasion and a terrific event to watch: the champion is invariably a great player. British Open Winners.

PGA Championship (www.pga.com/pgachampionship)

When the PGA Championship was first held in 1916, amateur golfers were more popular-and most were better-than professional golfers. The pro of the time was just that: he worked in the golf shop, gave lessons and played competitively when he had time. With the lack of organized tournaments and prize money, it did not pay enough to be a professional golfer. Rodman Wanamaker, who was not a pro but a business man, recognized the plight of golf pros and set about organizing the Professional Golfers Association of America. The PGA of America runs the U.S. PGA Championship along with several other tournaments, including the Ryder Cup. The trophy won by the PGA champion is named for Wanamaker. The organization represents the thousands of golf pros around the country and oversees a good deal of the business of golf in the U.S.

The tournament itself began as a match-play event and remained so until 1958. This format appealed to players and fans and was probably scrapped at the behest of television executives. At its humble beginnings, it was not really considered a major. After early domination of the event by British professionals working in the U.S., the dashing American Walter Hagen owned the Wanamaker Trophy for four consecutive years from 1924 through 1927 (as well as in 1921.) The Haig, as well known for his match-play gamesmanship as his skills, took over from Gene Sarazen, who won the title in 1922 and 1923.

The 30s, 40s and 50s produced famous champions such as Paul Runyan (1934, 1938), Byron Nelson (1940, 1945), Sam Snead (1942, 1949, 1951) and Ben Hogan (1946, 1948). Jack Nicklaus won the event in three different decades, and Lee Trevino took the title in 1974 and 1984.

The PGA Championship is the only major Arnold Palmer never won. John Daly won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick after getting in the field as the ninth alternate. It was his first win as a professional. Paul Azinger was a popular winner at Inverness in 1993. The PGA of America goes a long way to promote and protect golf in the U.S.; its fine tournament is indicative of the dedication and hard work of golf professionals everywhere. PGA Championship Winners.

The Ryder Cup (www.rydercup.com)

Matches have been played over the years from the first official match in 1927 at Worcester, Massachusetts, to the last Ryder Cup held at the K Club in Ireland, in 2006. The matches are played every second year, with the exception of the 34th Ryder Cup Matches and alternate between Europe and the United States of America. Ryder Cup Winners